Published: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 2:12 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 2:12 p.m.

SOUTH VENICE - When a $1.1 million stormwater sewer project started moving through their South Venice neighborhood, Brent and Karen Cronin had a problem.

It wasn't the dust or the noise or the tearing up of their driveway. They understood all that comes with Sarasota County's effort to keep pollutants from reaching Alligator Creek and eventually Lemon Bay.

Their problem rested with poor communication.

And, their unusual situation has resulted in a change of permitting procedures for the county.

It all started in April 2010. Like many of us, the Cronins had drainage ditches that ran along the street in front of their house. Because they live on a corner lot, they had more than most.

Brent endures enough hard work as a floor installer; he didn't want to take on the added labor of mowing ditches on the weekends. So, the Cronins installed piping, which was covered with soil to fill in the ditches.

This does not come cheaply. Their job cost $9,000. A contractor got the required county permits from Land Development Services. Then, the Cronins planted $1,200 worth of St. Augustine grass to create a beautiful yard.

In June, the couple noticed survey stakes driven in the ground in their front yard. They soon learned the county intended to tear up their new yard, remove their pipes and replace them with concrete culverts more than twice as large.

"And the insult to injury is that when it's all done, we will have ditches again," Karen Cronin said recently, sitting in her kitchen, shaking her head.

"We're just common, middle-class people who work their butts off. We saved for years to do that work," she said.

When they called the county, someone told them the stormwater project had been in the works for years. That's true. It made the capital improvement budget in 2004. It was reaffirmed in 2007. And in March 2010, one month before the Cronins bought the permit to do their work, the county completed a survey identifying the route of the pipes for the project.

At the time, no one told the Cronins any of this. If they had, the couple probably would have re-thought their investment.

In desperation, they contacted County Commissioner Jon Thaxton. At the Cronins' suggestion, Thaxton explored with staff the possibility of rerouting the pipes so they crossed the street one lot sooner, in front of a house that has been vacant for three years.

That option would have required a permit modification from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, delayed work three months and cost at least $15,000, says Carolyn Eastwood, project manager for environmental and major facilities.

It was rejected.

Last week, as the utility contractor worked in front of their home, Commissioner Christine Robinson took another shot at helping the Cronins. By Thursday, she had results. The water management district approved the county's request to level the ditch at the Cronin residence. When the project ends, the couple's yard will look the way it did before, which is how it should look.

Karen Cronin has drawn a lesson from her experience.

"Even if you think you can't change a situation, people can still speak up if they feel they've been wronged," she says.

The county also has taken something from the situation. In the future, land development will check GIS overlays when it issues its 100-some permits a year for residential culvert work.

<p><em>SOUTH VENICE</em> - When a $1.1 million stormwater sewer project started moving through their South Venice neighborhood, Brent and Karen Cronin had a problem.</p><p>It wasn't the dust or the noise or the tearing up of their driveway. They understood all that comes with Sarasota County's effort to keep pollutants from reaching Alligator Creek and eventually Lemon Bay.</p><p>Their problem rested with poor communication.</p><p>And, their unusual situation has resulted in a change of permitting procedures for the county.</p><p>It all started in April 2010. Like many of us, the Cronins had drainage ditches that ran along the street in front of their house. Because they live on a corner lot, they had more than most.</p><p>Brent endures enough hard work as a floor installer; he didn't want to take on the added labor of mowing ditches on the weekends. So, the Cronins installed piping, which was covered with soil to fill in the ditches.</p><p>This does not come cheaply. Their job cost $9,000. A contractor got the required county permits from Land Development Services. Then, the Cronins planted $1,200 worth of St. Augustine grass to create a beautiful yard.</p><p>In June, the couple noticed survey stakes driven in the ground in their front yard. They soon learned the county intended to tear up their new yard, remove their pipes and replace them with concrete culverts more than twice as large.</p><p>"And the insult to injury is that when it's all done, we will have ditches again," Karen Cronin said recently, sitting in her kitchen, shaking her head.</p><p>"We're just common, middle-class people who work their butts off. We saved for years to do that work," she said.</p><p>When they called the county, someone told them the stormwater project had been in the works for years. That's true. It made the capital improvement budget in 2004. It was reaffirmed in 2007. And in March 2010, one month before the Cronins bought the permit to do their work, the county completed a survey identifying the route of the pipes for the project.</p><p>At the time, no one told the Cronins any of this. If they had, the couple probably would have re-thought their investment.</p><p>In desperation, they contacted County Commissioner Jon Thaxton. At the Cronins' suggestion, Thaxton explored with staff the possibility of rerouting the pipes so they crossed the street one lot sooner, in front of a house that has been vacant for three years.</p><p>That option would have required a permit modification from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, delayed work three months and cost at least $15,000, says Carolyn Eastwood, project manager for environmental and major facilities.</p><p>It was rejected.</p><p>Last week, as the utility contractor worked in front of their home, Commissioner Christine Robinson took another shot at helping the Cronins. By Thursday, she had results. The water management district approved the county's request to level the ditch at the Cronin residence. When the project ends, the couple's yard will look the way it did before, which is how it should look.</p><p>Karen Cronin has drawn a lesson from her experience. </p><p>"Even if you think you can't change a situation, people can still speak up if they feel they've been wronged," she says.</p><p>The county also has taken something from the situation. In the future, land development will check GIS overlays when it issues its 100-some permits a year for residential culvert work.</p><p>"This obviously doesn't happen all the time," Eastwood says. "But we don't want it happening again."</p><p><hr /></p><p><i>Eric Ernst's column runs Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Contact him at eric.ernst@heraldtribune.com or (941) 486-3073.</i></p>